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I use Rejex on my wheels. As long as it doesn't rain I just remove the dust with a small california duster. If it rains I let them dry, hit them with the duster and get any remaining with a towel and some QD spray.

I have to give praise to Rejex as an excellent wheel protectant. I have applied it to both my sets of wheels. One I use for the street, stock style 135, and my 17" track wheels.

I had a track day on 4/9 which produced a pretty good cake of track pad dust on my Kosei's. I continued to drive on them until this past weekend, 11 days more of dust build up. They were pretty much black, front and back. I hosed them off, used warm water with my usual Meguire's Gold Class soap, and a small kitchen sponge. The dust just wiped right off. Not one stain, not one spec of dust remained. They look brand new!

I'm probably going to apply Rejex to my front bumper and paint below the waist-line during my next full detail. It's really good stuff to stand up to the abuse of track duty!

I can talk about Klasse cuz I use the twins on my car. I've used AIO on the wheels before, followed by one coat of HGSG.

Last fall I had a real mess on my hands of baked on dust. I spent hours getting my 135s clean. AIO did a really good job with most of it. I used Sonus SFX-1 for some of the mess that required a little abrasiveness. Clay bar too. I followed with HGSG and this lasted pretty well until spring.

I like Rejex better in this application. AIO will chemically clean any other protection you have from the wheels, I'm pretty sure about that. So to start fresh, it's a good step before applying other products. Even some Zaino users start with AIO.

I'm in the middle of a full-on detailing assault on my car, but next week after I've accumulated some dust, I'll take some pics that demonstrate the wonders of Rejex. I'm seriously thinking about using it below the belt line on this detail job.

I can talk about Klasse cuz I use the twins on my car. I've used AIO on the wheels before, followed by one coat of HGSG.

Last fall I had a real mess on my hands of baked on dust. I spent hours getting my 135s clean. AIO did a really good job with most of it. I used Sonus SFX-1 for some of the mess that required a little abrasiveness. Clay bar too. I followed with HGSG and this lasted pretty well until spring.

I like Rejex better in this application. AIO will chemically clean any other protection you have from the wheels, I'm pretty sure about that. So to start fresh, it's a good step before applying other products. Even some Zaino users start with AIO.

I'm in the middle of a full-on detailing assault on my car, but next week after I've accumulated some dust, I'll take some pics that demonstrate the wonders of Rejex. I'm seriously thinking about using it below the belt line on this detail job.

I've used RejeX on my cars for several years. Started using it on the exhaust tips (to minimize yellowing and carbon build up), then windshield (bug splats), then wheels. Works great, especially in high heat applications. Between washings, I use a California mini duster on the wheels.

How long does brake dust have to sit on the rim before it does any damage?
Does brake dust buildup affect the stopping power or the rotors of the car?

A week or two of heavy build-up and you're probably looking at some effort to get the wheels clean, if not protected with a synthetic sealant like Klasse or Rejex. I once went 2+ weeks between cleanings of my wheels with my track pads on, I had to spend an hour per wheel minimum to get them clean. That was the last time I will ever a) go that long, b) leave the wheels unprotected.

The dust doesn't stick to rotors, it gets polished off every time you use your brakes, but it will stick to everything else in there, including your paint on the body. This is why regular washings are important as is keeping the paint protected.

A week or two of heavy build-up and you're probably looking at some effort to get the wheels clean, if not protected with a synthetic sealant like Klasse or Rejex. I once went 2+ weeks between cleanings of my wheels with my track pads on, I had to spend an hour per wheel minimum to get them clean. That was the last time I will ever a) go that long, b) leave the wheels unprotected.

The dust doesn't stick to rotors, it gets polished off every time you use your brakes, but it will stick to everything else in there, including your paint on the body. This is why regular washings are important as is keeping the paint protected.

An ounce of prevention...

It also makes a huge difference if the wheels got wet or not. If no water involved the dust won't stick to the wheels as bad. They get dirty, but it easily comes off no matter how long.
If they get wet you probably don't want to wait any longer than 1 week.

I saw the post about Windex, so I went out and tried it on my ZHP (Which has the wheels you love to hate part II, part I was the basket weaves on E30s) and the grime just melted away and wiped off. Since Windex is basically water/ammonia/isopropyl alcohol/food coloring...I think ammonia or alcohol may be the way to go. Going to try it next wash, diluted of course. I've also used kerosene with some success, it's pretty benign and won't hurt anything (Like your paint). De-natured alcohol also got latex paint off my car with no damage to the surface...so there's another choice.

It also makes a huge difference if the wheels got wet or not. If no water involved the dust won't stick to the wheels as bad. They get dirty, but it easily comes off no matter how long.
If they get wet you probably don't want to wait any longer than 1 week.

Agreed! I went two weeks between washings due to knee surgery. I was shocked to find that getting the brakedust off was impossible without clay! Next week: Rejex.

I saw the post about Windex, so I went out and tried it on my ZHP (Which has the wheels you love to hate part II, part I was the basket weaves on E30s) and the grime just melted away and wiped off. Since Windex is basically water/ammonia/isopropyl alcohol/food coloring...I think ammonia or alcohol may be the way to go. Going to try it next wash, diluted of course. I've also used kerosene with some success, it's pretty benign and won't hurt anything (Like your paint). De-natured alcohol also got latex paint off my car with no damage to the surface...so there's another choice.

Might work to clean but... You will also strip away any layer of wax you have on the wheels.

Might work to clean but... You will also strip away any layer of wax you have on the wheels.

I'm old and smart...I don't wax wheels anymore. Like everybody else here I've tried everything to clean wheels with not much luck as evidenced by the posters. The clear-coat finish on any good wheel is an ultraviolet cured polymer, which should be pretty much impervious to ANY cleanser available on the retail market.

Today I finished detailing my wheels and while doing so I was able to remove all of the black brake dust. Only problem I has is that some of the wheel look like ot had black gritty specks which I could not get off. Does anyone have any advice?
Also I cleaned the wheels with McGuires car wash soap and some terry towels.

After reading Stream's very postive recommendations to use RejeX on the rims I am thrilled to report this stuff ROCKS!!

I applied a llight coating of RejeX to my rims this weekend and after driving about 40 miles around town over the last 2 days the brake dust was building up as usual so I decided to find out what this RejeX stuff is all about. I hosed of my rims and then wiped them down with a towel and the remaining dust came of very easily and took all of 5 minutes. This stuff is amazing and highly recommend for anyone fed up with fighting brake dust. Thanks Stream!!!

After reading Stream's very postive recommendations to use RejeX on the rims I am thrilled to report this stuff ROCKS!!

I applied a llight coating of RejeX to my rims this weekend and after driving about 40 miles around town over the last 2 days the brake dust was building up as usual so I decided to find out what this RejeX stuff is all about. I hosed of my rims and then wiped them down with a towel and the remaining dust came of very easily and took all of 5 minutes. This stuff is amazing and highly recommend for anyone fed up with fighting brake dust. Thanks Stream!!!

Stream - I had also previously seen your recommendation for using the CA duster products and while I was washing and wiping I was saying to self, "self you also need to follow Stream's recommendation and get the mini and full size dusters".

Stream - I had also previously seen your recommendation for using the CA duster products and while I was washing and wiping I was saying to self, "self you also need to follow Stream's recommendation and get the mini and full size dusters".

I went to Pep Boys to pick up some CA dusters and they had what I believe is a new CA duster product, a microfiber wheel duster. It is designed in prong-style to slide over the spokes and clean both sides. I must say that this design is ideal and works beautifully in conjunction with RejeX. I am on my way outside now to try the full car CA duster. Thanks again Stream!!!

Today I finished detailing my wheels and while doing so I was able to remove all of the black brake dust. Only problem I has is that some of the wheel look like ot had black gritty specks which I could not get off. Does anyone have any advice?

Probably road tar. 3M Adhesive Cleaner (08984) will dissolve it. I use cotton balls to apply it. Be careful about rubbing, or you'll scratch the clearcoat with the grit in the road tar. Let the adhesive cleaner do the work.

install reduced dust brake pads and then downshift manually (even if have auto tranny w/steptronic) to slow down the vehicle instead of using the brakes - you'll be surprised and what a difference it makes!

I'd like to suggest that it's brake pad residue, not road tar. Road tar usually comes off without too much trouble. The brake pad residue is a different story.

I tried the new BMW wheel cleaner, and it does a pretty good job....better than P21, but you still have to do some scrubbing. I've managed to put a dent in the accumulated gunk, but haven't gotten it all off yet.

A fingernail works well, but you can imagine how that feels after a few minutes....I'm thinking a piece of plastic (like a pizza stone scraper) might work. Don't use the nylon scouring pads...they WILL scratch the rim. Trust me.

I got some useful info from the person doing the washing at a BMW dealership. They use an acid-based wheel cleaner....I know, not the best thing for your wheels, but if the alternative is to have them caked with crud might be worth considering. I know that when I bought my X3, the wheels were clean but it only took a week or so for the brake residue chunks to start showing up. So there is a way to get that stuff off (and I doubt the dealer spent hours cleaning the wheels).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwm

Probably road tar. 3M Adhesive Cleaner (08984) will dissolve it. I use cotton balls to apply it. Be careful about rubbing, or you'll scratch the clearcoat with the grit in the road tar. Let the adhesive cleaner do the work.